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Schmap has come out with a new beta service for iPhones and iPod touches similar to Google mapping. When you hold your device vertically, it features places of interest on a scrollable list which is updated dynamically. Rotate to landscape and it shows them on a map. Tap a name from the list or one of the icons to get more information such as location and phone number with pics. Touch previous or next and you get your choice of other places in the area. Contact Schmap on your iPhone to try out their service.

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Philips has come up with their answer to the iPhone shortage with the X800. The touchscreen phone has a 2.9-inch TFT display with 256K colors, QGVA with 240 x 400 pixels, 2G network GSM, and supports Bluetooth, micro SD, and USB. It also features GPRS, a 2 MP cam with auto-focus and video, an MP3/MPEG4/WAV/AAC player, voice memo, and organizer. Expect up to 850 hrs. of standby time with 8 hrs. of talk time. Contact Philips for price and availability details.

Due to be released this summer is the Blackberry Bold. The smartphone features a 624MHz Intel PXA270 processor, a fully redesigned QWERTY keyboard, 3G HSDPA connectivity, and a HVGA 480 x 320 pixels TFT LCD with 65,000 colors. As with previous Blackberrys, the Bold has cam and video recording, social networking, GPS with maps and turn-by-turn directions, Wifi and Bluetooth capability, IM, e-mail, and BlackBerry Media Sync to transfer desktop iTunes music files.

All signs are pointing to a new 3G iPhone launching in the next six weeks or so. The latest is this screenshot that is, supposedly, taken from the iPhone 2.0 Beta 5 firmware. Check it out - within the Network settings pane, you now have an Enable 3G toggle switch. It’s a way to put a little bit of power back into your hands as the user, what do you care about more, speed, or battery life? I personally would love a setting that disabled 3G when the iPhone realized I was connected to a WiFi hotspot.

In all seriousness, Apple needs to launch this thing already. The employees over at the Rumor Mill are working way too many overtime hours.

HTC’s Touch Diamond is the latest smartphone to join the pack. It features a 2.8-inch touch screen, TouchFLO 3D for images, a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus cam for stills and video, HSDPA connectivity, 4 GB memory, 256MB ROM, and 192 MB DDR SDRAM. There is GPS, HTC Weather reporting, and it has both Wifi and Bluetooth capability. At a size of 102 X 51 X 11.5mm and a weight of 110g, look for the Touch Diamond to come out for play in June.

Samsung is making some strides with its slider DVB-H Mobile TV Phone. It features a 2.6-inch QVGA TFT screen with 262K colors, a 3 mp cam with power LED, a music player with library, an FM tuner, and Bang & Olufsen ICEPower tech for sound. With up to 5 hours of play, there is also an electronic service guide with TV channels and PIP, and Time-Shifting in case you are interrupted by a call. Unfortunately, the thin 16.7mm P960 will start out in Europe before it hits the States.

Get this - Fortune is saying that AT&T is going to be subsidizing the cost of the 3G iPhone by $200, which would mean that you could get one of the new phones for $199 USD with a 2-year contract. Now, that isn’t as crazy as it seems, as they do this with just about every other phone that they offer. They just haven’t been doing it with the first iPhone. Now, to be clear, if you made the decision to buy the phone from an Apple Store, you would be paying the full price.

Other tidbits in the Fortune article state that the new phone will be 2.5mm thinner than the current iPhone (which itself is 11.7mm thick), and that it will also include a GPS chip. Pricing will be $399 for the 8GB version, and $499 for the 16GB model, before subsidies. As with all Apple rumors, we take this one with a grain of salt, but hey, it’s Fortune, right?

We’ve been trying not to stir the iPhone rumor pot too much lately, but it seems like details are starting to come out that we believe may just be legitimate. Ryan over at Engadget heard a few things from a trusted source that match up with a couple of things we’ve heard, plus he got a few things we weren’t sure about.

For starters, we had heard that the 3G iPhone would likely be just a tad thicker than the current model, which seems to match up with what we read. Physically, Apple may be doing away with the two-toned back color of the iPhone, opting instead for a smooth black finish. The headphone jack will no longer be recessed into that hole of frustration, and lastly, the thing will have full-on GPS.

Engadget is saying that the next iPhone could ship as early as July. We are thinking it could be as early as June. We know for a fact that there is at least one person here in Seattle who has one, and that the person doesn’t work for Apple. Apple typically doesn’t seed these things outside of their organization until they are in the last phase of testing. That leads us to believe that these are just about ready to launch. What do you think? This is all a bit too exciting for us, as we die a little inside with each day that passes where we have to use EDGE on our iPhone.

Grab a refurbished Zen V Plus for Mom’s Day in pukey pink and white or gross green and black from Creative. With FM tuner and voice recorder, the 2GB MP3 Player features the characteristic 1.5-inch color screen and will play refurbished music, photos and videos (just kidding.) Order one at the very discounted price of $35.99. If you already have a player, they are also offering Live! Cams, earphones, speakers, a travel mouse and other goodies at reduced prices, with free shipping on orders over $99.99. That’s a lot of mother love.

Sumajin’s Flex Champion Character brings good things to light and sound. Standing a foot tall, it will hold your iPhone, Touch, classic, or Video iPod or cellie while it syncs and charges. Available in white, black, or silver, it features an E14 socket for energy saving 7W of light and a special socket plate for a tea candle (not included.) Based on their former Flex character key chains and other inexpensive accessories, this one will set you back $200.00.